Disk cultivator



D. M. WATTERS.

DISK CULTIVATOR.

Patented June 27, 1922.

S EETS SHEET l- INVENTOR. JDamIJ/ 171/. Wam-a.

D. M. WATTERS.

DISK CULTIVATOR.

-APPL|ATION FILED OCT. 20, 1919.

Patented une 27, 1922. v

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

'INVENTOR.

IIII'I If I n. M. WATT ERS.

' DISK CULTIVATOR. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 20, 1919] 4 Patnted June27,1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL'M. WATTERS, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO KILLEFER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A

FORNIA.

CORPORATION OF CALI- msx cumrva ron.

Application filed October 20, 1919. Serial No. 331,807. I

T 0 all whom it may concern."

Be itknown that I, DANIEL M. Wia'r'rnns,

a. citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the countyof Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and usefulDisk Cultivator, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cultivators of the type having a plurality ofcultivator member supporting frames adapted to be moved into differentrelative positions and tractor or other motive power an object of theinvention is to produce a cultivator of this type of which the framescan be adjusted with great ease.

Another object is to effect the relative adjustment of the frames by thepull of the Another object is to effect the relative adjustment of theframes automatically withroad or other surface which it is not de--sired to cultivate.

Fig. 3 1s.a sectional elevation on llne indicated by m w Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 'is a sectional elevation on line indic'ated by wa? Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the'draft device.

Fig. 6 is an enlargedsectional elevation on line indicated by ma:, Fig.2.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged detail partly in section of the draft hooks.

There are provided cultivator frames arranged side by side in pairs, thepairs being positioned one'behind the other. Any number of pairs may beemployed and in the drawings two such pairs are disclosed, the framesbeing designated 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. The frames 1, 2, in theinstance shown, constitute the front pair and the frames 3, 4,constitute the rear pair. The

frames are alike in every respect and may be constructed as desired.Since the frames are of like construction a description of one framewill sufiice for all of them and said frame is constructedas follows 1Transversely extendingfront, intermediate and rear bars 5, 6 and 7respectively are connected together at their ends by end bars 8, 9. Tothe bars 8, 9 are bolted journal boxes 10 in each of which is journaledone of the spacer sleeves 11 that are interposed between adjacentcultivator members that may be in the form of disks 12, as shown,mounted on a square axle 13, the sleeves 11 serving to maintain thecorrect spacing between the disks 12. Theaxle 13 is provided on itsinner end with a nut 14 screw-threaded thereon against a washer -15whichengages' the 'inner'face of the innermost disk. The axle 13 isprovided on its outer end with a nut or head 16 engaging a washer 17 thenut forcmg said washer against the outer face of the outermost disk 12.It is clear that when the nut 14 and nut 16 are turned up tight theyforce'the disks and sleeves together so as to hold all firmly in placeagainst endwise movement on the axle. The sleeves 11 and disks 12 cannotturn on the axle because of said axle .being'square in cross section.Secured to the transverse bars 5, 6 and 7 by bolts 18 or theirequivalents are disk cleaners in the form of downwardly curved straps 19which are interposed between adjacent disks 12 and pass beneath thesleeves 11. These straps 19 may be more or less resilient.. Braces 20connect the bars 6 and 7 to one another and are arranged diagonallyrelative thereto.

The end bars 9 of each of the frames are provided at their forward endswith eyes 21. and bolts 22 extending through the eyes 21 fasten chains23, 24, 25 and 26 to the frames 1. 2, 3 and 4 respectively.

The forward ends of the rear chains 25, 26 are fastened by bolts 27 toeyes 28 formed in the rear ends of the end bars 8 of the front frames.Said bolts 27 also serve to pivot to the bars 8 of the front frames apair of levers 29 which are pivoted together near their middle by a bolt30. The levers 29 may each be formed of a single member, if desired, butin the instance shown in the drawings each lever comprises a pair offlat superposedmembers. The rear ends of the levers 29 are pivoted bybolts 31 to eyes 32 formed in the forward ends of the bars 8 of the rearframes. The levers 29 thus form a lazy tong connection between the frontpair of frames and the rear pair. The chains 25, 26 are of such lengthas to be taut when the rear pair of frames 3, 4 and the levers 29 are inthe position shown in Fig. 1 and also when hook 34 and a lower hook 35.The upper.

hook 34 is provided with an eye 36 for connection to any suitable draftgear for drawing the cultivator. The hook 34 engages the forward end ofa chain 37 and the rear end of said chain is fastened by a bolt 38 to apair of bell crank levers 39, said bolt 38 forming a pivot for thelevers 39. These bell crank levers may, if desired, be each formed of asingle member, and in the instance shown in the drawings each of themcomprises a pair of superposed members, the

Between the forward ends of the bars 8 ofeyes 14 to one another, saidmeans being 65.,

members of one lever being alternately arranged with the members of theother. lever.

The rear ends of the levers 39 are pivoted by bolts 40 to eyes 41 formedin the forward ends of the end bars-8 of the front frames.

the frames '1, 2 and the bars 5 extend braces 49. Thus it is clear whenthe chain 37 is drawn it produces a pull-on the pivot 38 of the levers39 and said levers 39 produce a pull on the end bars 8 of the frontframes so as to draw the cultivator over the ground to be cultivated,the parts then being in the positionsshown in Fig. 1. The chains 23, 24exert a pull on the outer ends of the front frames 1, 2.

The lower hook 35 is adapted to engage an eye 42 which is pivoted bybolts 43 to a pair of links 44 which are in turn pivoted by bolts 45 tothe forward ends of the bell crank levers 39. When the'hook 35 engagesthe eye 42 it is clear that a pull forward on the hook 35 will betransmitted through the eye 42 to the links 44 and said links willoperate to swing the forward. ends of the levers 39 toward one anotherthus moving the rear ends of said levers away from one another so as toproduce a separating action on the for ward ends of the bars 8 of thefront frames. \Vhenthis movement has gone sufliciently far it results inthe front frames 1, 2 alining themselves with one another endwise as inFig. 2. The nuts 14 of the rear axle are in the form of eyes. I

To prevent any tendency to moving away from one another ofithe rearframes 3, 4, means are provided to loosely connect the more or lessadjustable sothat the distance between the eyes 14 can be readilydiminished without the connecting means interfering therewith. In theinstance shown in the drawings the connecting means comprisesinterconnected links 46 and bolts 47 in the links passing through theeyes 14.

It is believed that the operation of the cultivator will be clear fromthe foregoing, but the operation may be summarized in brief as follows:Assuming that the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1 and thatthe hook 34 is connected to suitable motive power such, for instance, asa tractor, it is clear that the draft power will be applied through thechains 23, 24, 37 and levers 39 to the front frames 1, 2 to pull saidframes along the ground to be cultivated. The disks 12 will thereuponcut into the ground in a manner well understood in the art pertaining tocultivators so as to cultivate the ground. Owing to the chainconnections 25, 26 and levers 29 between the front frames 1, 2 and rearframes 3, 4 it is clear that the rear frames will also be pulled alongthe ground and that they will be maintained in the angular relationshown in Fig. 1, the relative positions of the frames 3, 4 being thereverse of that of the frames 1, 2 respectively, as is customary in thistype of cultivator.

If the operator desires to run the cultivator along a highway withoutinjury to the highway, or if he desires to run the cultivator close toa'tree or other obstruction, he will back the tractor toward thecultivator sufliciently far so that he can engage the hook 35 with theeye 42. He will then drive ahead and the chain 37 being slack will nolonger produce a direct pull on the front tractor frames but the pullwill be exerted through the eye 42 and links 44 so as to cause the rearends of the bell crank levers 39 to swing away from one another, thuspushing the forward inner corners of the frames 1, 2 away from oneanother and the inner rear corners of said frames toward one another,said frames pivoting with respect tb one another around thehemispherical inner washers 15 of the front axle. This movement of thecultivator frames 1, 2 causes the forward ends of the levers 29 to movetoward one another and this in turn causes the forward inner corners ofthe rear frames 34 to move toward one another and the rear inner cornersof said frames to move away ward front cultivator frames to cause thefront inner corners of the front frames to approach one another. Thiscauses the levers 29 to spread the front inner corners of anddisengagement of the hook with the eye 32.

I claim:

, 1. A cultivator comprising a plurality of frames arranged side byside, cultivator members carried by the frames, bell-crank leverspivoted at their rear ends to the inner front corners of the framesrespectively and pivotally connected with one another, links pivoted tothe forward ends of said levers. a chain fastened to the pivot of thelevers. an eye pivoted to the links, and connections fastened to theframes near their front outer corners and connected to the first namedchain.

2. A cultivator comprising a plurality of frames arranged in pairs,cultivator niembers carried by the frames, draft means connected withthe front frames for pulling said frames over the ground. said meansincludin a device for effecting a change in the relative positions ofthe front frames when power is applied to the draft means, a pair oflevers pivoted to one another near their middle and pivoted at theirforward ends to the rear inner corners of the front frames and pivotedat their rear ends to the front inner corners of the rear frames. and

means connecting the rear frames near-their outer front corners with theinner rear corners of the front frames.

3. A cultivator comprising a plurality of frames arranged side by side,cultivator members carried by the frames, bell-crank levers pivoted tothe inner front corners of the frames respectively and pivotallyconnected with one another, links pivoted to the forward ends of saidlevers, a chain fastened to the pivot of the levers, an eye pivoted tothe links. connections fastened to the frames near their outer cornersand connected to the first named chain, a second pair of frames.cultivator members carried by the second pair of frames,and'connect-ions betweenthe frontand rear pairs of frames operative bychange of relative positions of the front frames to change the relativepositions of the rear frames.

4. A cultivator comprising a plurality of frames arranged in pairs,cultivator members carried by the frames, bell-crank levers pivoted attheir rear ends to the inner front corners ofthe front framesrespectively and pivotally connected with one another. links pivoted tothe forward ends of said levers, a chain fastened to the pivot of thelevers, an eye pivoted to the links, connections fastened to the frontframes near their front outer corners and connected'to the first namedchain, a pair of levers pivoted to one another near theirtmiddle andpivoted at their forward ends to the rear innercorners of the frontframes and pivoted at their rear ends to the front inner corners of therear frames, and means connecting the rear frames near their outer frontcorners with the inner rear corners of the front frames.

5. A cultivator comprising a plurality of frames arranged in pairs, onepair behind the other, cultivator members carried by the frames. leversconnecting the front portions of the front frames to one another andoperative to change the distance between the front portions'of the frontframes, means to hold said levers in different positions, leversconnecting the rear portions of the front frames to the front portionsof the rear frames and operative by change of distance between the rearportions of the front frames to-change the distance between the frontportions of the rear frames, and connect-ions between the rear frames tolimit movement away from one another of said rear frames.

of frames, a rear pair of frames, cultivator members carried by theframes, lever means operative to one position to simultaneously shiftone end of the front pair of frames rearward and one end of the rearpairof frames forward, said lever means being op-' erative to anotherposition to simultaneously shift said end of the front pair of framesforward and said end of the rear pair of frames rearward, and means toconnect different portions of the lever means to a motive power to causethe lever means to assume the different positions.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 15th day of October, .1919.

DANIEL M. VATTERS.

